


Escape

by Lemon (lemon_sprinkles)



Series: Downtown Eastside [6]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Cute, Fluff, M/M, Stargazing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2017-02-20
Packaged: 2018-09-25 21:28:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9845711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lemon_sprinkles/pseuds/Lemon
Summary: Kaidan takes Shepard out to see the stars





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [octopusasahat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/octopusasahat/gifts).



> Written for octopusasahat on tumblr. Their prompt was: "I would really, really love for downtown eastside universe mshenko to go stargazing together"
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

 Shepard would search for the stars in the haze of the inner-city.

 Kaidan would watch him as his  attention would wane, attention flicking from Kaidan to the sky, body stilling and voice calming as he craned his neck and searched up in the heavens for _something_.

 Kaidan was never sure what for.

 But Vancouver wasn’t the place to stargaze. Lights from the streets muddied the night sky, and what light managed to make it through the yellow tinge from below was usually consumed by grey cloud cover. It didn’t stop Shepard, however. Without fail his attention would drift upward, lips gently parted and brows unfurred, stress lines and tension gone until he looked his age—until he looked free.

 Kaidan watched him from his bed. Skin cooling and limbs relaxed from the vestiges of sex, he stretched out on the tangled blankets, pushing curly hair from his forehead to get a better look at Shepard. He stood out on the balcony, completely naked despite the cool temperatures and lack of privacy. Smoke from his cigarette curled around him, ash building up, a small flicker of light on the end visible when he brought it to his lips.

 As Kaidan watched Shepard, Shepard watched the sky, looking for his elusive stars—his white whale.

 When he returned, skin cold and eyes bright, he jumped into the bed and climbed on top of Kaidan, sharing in the air from outside and the scent of the sea from the harbour. Pressing his cold nose against Kaidan’s neck he nipped at the skin, hands rubbing and grabbing him all over, their second round of sex already beginning.

 But then Kaidan stopped him for a brief moment—caught his attention with a nip to his bottom lip and a mumbled ‘wait’.

 “Are you free next Saturday night?” he asked.

 Shepard just quirked a brow.

XX

 They drove into the interior. The trunk was stuffed with firewood and wool blankets, a case of beer and sausages and buns to cook over an open fire. Shepard had no idea where they were going or what they were doing, but he followed Kaidan without complaint, attention fixed on the road ahead and not what was behind them.

 It was still spring and the mountains were cold, winter campers finding their homes in the chilly breeze that swung down from the snowy peaks and into the greening valleys down below. Kaidan drove for close to two hours, the sun setting behind them, casting everything in a pink and orange glow. They beat total sunset, arriving at the closed campsite just before the sky turned light blue and then black. Kaidan had only been to the site with his parents in the summer, and had forgotten the place would be closed for the season.

 And so they parked outside and grabbed their supplies, the two making the hike through the underbrush, using the screens on their phones and the dying light to guide them.

 Building the fire took little time, and Shepard watched with a keen eye as Kaidan placed layers of wood and newspaper in careful order.

 “My dad taught me how,” Kaidan said.

 “Teach me?” Shepard asked.

 The fire was up and roaring in no time, and Kaidan laid the wool blankets out a safe distance away. Cracking open their beers and opening up the sausages, they stuck them on sticks Kaidan found and began cooking them, Shepard making floppy dick jokes as he gently bounced his around.

 He lost his first one to the fire. The second fared better, and they ate their sausages in a bun in comfortable silence as the sun finally disappeared behind the curve of the earth.

 Still Shepard didn’t ask what was going on. Kaidan watched him out of the corner of his eye—caught every smile and twitch of his shoulders as the cold air found purchase. Kaidan admired the freedom in his laughter and the cheeky glint in his eyes as their knees brushed, cheeks flushed like teenagers out past curfew.

 Kaidan kept looking up at the sky now and again, waiting for the light blue to turn dark, and for the stars to fill up the black with their brilliant white. Shepard remained focused on the fire and on Kaidan, asking questions about camping while sipping at his beer, always keen on learning—on absorbing new things and holding them close to his chest, like a treasure he was reticent to let go of.

 And then the lull happened. Knees and shoulders pressed tight together, warmth shared between them, their conversation dropped off as they settled into comfortable silence. Fire crackled and popped and dried grass rustled together in the gentle breeze that swept through the valley now and again, but nothing was said.

 Until…

 “Shit.”

 Kaidan watched Shepard as Shepard watched the night sky. The stars had come out of hiding and spread across the sky. Bright whites and greys punctuated the blackness, while bright blue glittered and danced in between; millions and millions of stars and planets and solar systems, shimmering with their possibilities and mysteries.

 Shepard fell backward. He landed on the blanket with huff, bright, baby blue eyes wide open as he reveled in the sight before him. He looked up at the fastness of space and saw only wonder and amazement.

 Kaidan lay down next to him, silent in his own admiration.

 And then Shepard spoke. Raising his hand he pointed at a group of stars.

 “Leo,” he said, and nudged closer to Kaidan so he could trace the outline just for him.

 His breath was hot against Kaidan’s cheek, and it took all of Kaidan’s willpower not to kiss him as he began finding other constellations, pointing them out one by one to Kaidan.

 Leo, Hydra, Cancer, and Virgo.

 Castor and Pollux—brother stars—and Mars, shining bright and without shame.

 “The planet was named after a god of war,” Shepard said with a hint of admiration in his voice.

 “What about that other bright one?” Kaidan asked.

 “Saturn,” Shepard said without a moments pause. “A titan—not a god. He ate his kids.”

 Kaidan laughed. “Not as cool as the god of war.”

 Shepard hummed. “Nah.”

 Kaidan wasn’t surprised when Shepard explained how the rings on Saturn _sang_ ; he wasn’t surprised when he began listing off more constellations; he wasn’t surprised when he knew the mythology behind certain names, and he wasn’t surprised when he finished everything off by (sheepishly) admitting to spending his teens in the library during the winter months, sitting in the astronomy section with lack of anything else to do.

 Kaidan wasn’t surprised; he was in awe.

 “I want to go up there one day,” Shepard whispered.

 Kaidan watched Shepard like Shepard watched the night sky.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thanks for reading and supporting my stories! If you've got a prompt send it my way over at lorastyrell.com and I'll see what I can do!


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